Improvement in oars



HENRY W. CONNOR, OF TROY,'NEW YORK.

Letters .Patent No. 88,013, dated March 23, 1869.

nvrPRovnMENT IN ons.

To all lwho/m it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY W. CONNOR, of the city of Troy, county ofRensselaer, and State of New York,

. be propelled in the same direction faced by the oars` man.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willproceed to describe its construction and operation.

I construct the oar A in the usual and ordinary shape, except that Imake the lower part of the oarblade wider than the upper part, so thatthe pressure will be greater below than above the oar.

About six inches of the loom, or upper end of the oar, I insert in asocket, B, made of metal, or other suitable material, so that the oarwill freely turn in the socket, and be readily taken therefrom.

This socket B is attached to an upright, C, of sucient size to bear thestrain at a point high enough to allow the oar-blade to work' in thewater without striking the side of the boat, and is so attached by meansof a joint or hinge, to allow a free movement of the oar in alldirections.

Y The upright O is lirmly secured to the boat inthe centre; between thesides, and is the fulcrum of the oar..- y

As a means for working the oar, I make a band, H, of metal, or otherproper mateu'al, of suthcient width and thickness to bear the strainupon it and make it to fit the oar, and at the same time to be movableupon it, and to be secured to the oar by means of a screw.

On the top of this band H, I put a -small hinge, F, which is on a directline with the upper-'edge of the oar-blade, and on the bottom of thisband I put a I broad pin, I, with a slot, or groove cut therein, whichis on a direct line with the lower edge of the oar-blade. To this bandH, I attach the jointed arm E, which is made of the length required bythe oarsman.

This arm is made of metal, or other material, and is made with a handle,P, at one end, and with two prongs, or small arms, K and L, from thejoint outward to the other end.

One of the small arms K is attached bya pin to the top of the band at F,which forms a hinge;

The other small arm, or prong L ofthe arm, Works easily in the slot, orgroove of the pin I.

From or near the top of the upright C to the oar, near the band H, Iattach a rubber, or other spring, D, which is to aid the oarsman inraising the oar from the water, and also to hold the oar into the socketB. This spring is attached to the oar, not on the top of the oar, butabout one-third of the distance over toward the handle, and between Fand I, so as to aid the oarsman in feat-hering the oar.

The operation is as follows:

When the oarsman, taking hold of the arm E by the handle P, pushes theoar out of the water, the arm, by the small arm K, being attached to theband H by the hinge F, which is on a line with the upper edge of theoar-blade, the oar, working in the socket B, is neces- Asarily rolledover backward, or feathered, until the stop O strikes the pin I, andthus remains so long as this force continues, the spring D aiding theoperation. When the oar is put into the water, and the oarsman pullsupon it by the arm E, the oar is rolled back again until the stop Gstrikes the pin I, when the face of the oar-blade is necessarily in thepropr` position in the water. The arm E being hinged or jointed, allowsthe oar to sweep around without inconvenience to the oarsman.

By this operation, the boat is propelled in the direction faced by theoarsman.

What Iclaim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,'is- The arm E, combined with the hinge F and the pin I, substantiallyas and for the purposes herein set forth.

HENRY W. CONNOR.

Witnesses:

N. DAVENPORT, C. E. DAVENPORT.

